Lego

While many of the LEGO kits we feature are based on some pop culture franchise, we love the more traditional source of inspiration for this 471-piece set. LEGO set 80103 features a duo of Chinese dragon boats, each with its own minifig crew and a group of onlookers cheering them on from the stands. Drops worldwide on 6/1/19.

Expert LEGO builder Yoshihito Isogawa shows off a really cool plaything he created using Technic parts. The motorized outer wheel provides enough speed to keep a Minifig and her recumbent bicycle upright and rolling without tipping over.

Stranger Things gets the LEGO treatment with this awesome 2287-piece set, which features a detailed model of the Byers’ house that flips to show an Upside Down version. Includes minifigs of the kids, Sheriff Hopper, Joyce Byers, and the Demogorgon. Drops 6/1/19 (5/15 for LEGO VIP members.)

You can build amazing things with LEGO, but their baseplates are pretty ordinary. Beyond the Brick got their hands on some of the sweet baseplates from Slab Dream Lab, which come in a variety of designs, or can be custom printed with your own. They’re also more rigid and versatile than official LEGO baseplates.

LEGO is testing a set of special bricks with studs that form Braille symbols. The kit will consist of 250 pieces, which consist of the alphabet, numbers, math symbols and more. LEGO will make it available to select institutions for free by 2020.

The Honda Civic Type R is the latest in the growing number of life-size LEGO car models. Honda Australia commissioned the project, which took over 1300 hours to make and has over 320,000 pieces. It has lots of functioning lights. More on Carscoops.

LEGO Technic expert Yoshihito ISOGAWA created a couple of neat little drawing machines, which spin around while holding an Apple Pencil, resulting in Spirograph-style drawings on an iPad screen. He also made a rig that does pointilist drawings.

One of the more impressive LEGO Great Ball Contraptions we’ve seen turned up at Japan Brickfest 2018. Among its contributors was Akiyuky, whose modules wowed the crowd with all manner of hypnotically moving parts, while his LEGO Technic railway shuttled balls alongside.

Builder munimuni Bekkan first plays around with a spring-loaded LEGO machine that can climb a tower, then proceeds to evolve his design into a motorized contraption that carries, then stacks its own Duplo brick tower to climb.

LEGO enthusiast Lachlan Cameron designed and built a remote-controlled Technic scale model of Ken Block’s Ford Mustang Hoonicorn. The all-wheel drive toy has working steering and suspension, doors and a hood that open, and lights.

Minifigs.me presents a wonderful series of unofficial LEGO figures inspired by popular musicians from Queen to David Bowie to ABBA. Some are sold only as bands, while others can be purchased individually, like Dave Grohl, Bruce Springsteen, and Freddie Mercury.

Tearing down LEGO buildings usually requires plucking bricks off by hand. But Shadow Elenter’s approach is way cooler. He built a crane to do his demolition, using LEGO Technic parts and 18 motors. It can lift items, knock them down, and claw or break them apart.

Brick Formation is a new company focused on creating beautifully-designed, limited-edition kits using genuine LEGO parts. Their first kits include Interceptor (500pc), Ion Cannon Frigate (705pc), and Destroyer (1365pc) models from Gearbox Software’s classic Homeworld 2.

Building on szabomat90’s LEGO Ideas design, this fantastic kit is based on the boat from Mickey Mouse’s debut cartoon, Walt Disney’s 1928 classic Steamboat Willie. The 721-piece model measures over 10″ long when complete, and includes new Mickey and Minnie figures.

While you can buy an official LEGO Camper Van kit already, this custom build is far more impressive. This realistic replica took over 400,000 bricks to build, and has a steel frame which allows people to walk inside and check out all of the brick-built details.

LEGO builder D FB shows off an amazing contraption which uses LEGO bricks to flip pixels on a display. There’s a motorized scroller version, and a hand-cranked one. Learn about how it works on the Eurobricks forum.

LEGO worked with Ford to create this detailed replica set of a 1960s Ford Mustang. You can clearly see its big block V8, nitrous oxide tank, air scoop and 5-spoke rims. The set can be customized with the included supercharger, spoilers, exhaust pipes and license plates.

Inspired by a mechanical drum-playing machine designed by Leonardo Da Vinci, this LEGO music maker by Giuseppe Acito uses a series of pegs placed onto a spinning wheel to trigger sound sequences as its “fingers” press keys connected to synthesizers.

LEGO Ideas member Brick-A-Brac presents this concept for a 1:8 scale kit of Lamborghini’s limited edition carbon fiber beast. The Centenario is made of 2712 pieces and has a rear wing that can be moved by rotating the exhaust pipe.

Based on a proposal by LEGO Ideas member Andrew Clark, set #21316 includes minifigs of the Flintstones Fred and Wilma, and their neighbors Barney and Betty. It comes with the Flintstone residence, their car and even a huge dinosaur rib. They left out Dino though.

Mechanical LEGO master Akiyuky shows off a fun Great Ball Contraption module. This one features two tiny robots who clap their hands awaiting a ball delivery, then spin around and drop them into the next stage when they detect one in their grabby mitts.

Nukazooka presents a fantastic LEGO fan film that’s as good as anything we’ve seen on the big screen. It’s a story of two minifigs attempting to escape their playroom at any cost – even if it means facing down a terrifying furry monster.

Take a trip on latest LEGO thrill ride from builder Shadow Elenter. Comprised of close calls with spinning saw blades, collapsing walls, and swinging swords, the ride plays out more like a level from God of War than an amusement park ride.

LEGO builder Luke Taylor shows off his labor of love for the last decade – a sprawling, futuristic city made from countless bricks. Like the real deal, it’s an ever-changing, ever-growing urban landscape. Another great video from Beyond the Brick’s Joshua Hanlon.

While it’s not as fast as the life-size LEGO Bugatti, this LEGO replica of a Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT Trail Boss is still quite the feat. It took 18 builders over 2,000 hours to construct from over 334,000 bricks. It’s on display at the 2019 NAIAS in Detroit.

DaveHax shows us how to use silicone LEGO molds to create replicas of minifigs and other bricks using gallium, a very soft metal which is solid at room temperature, but turns back to liquid at about 30ºC (86ºF). He needs to mold a T-1000 figure from Terminator 2.

After assembling the epic LEGO Bugatti Chiron model, The Brick Wall decided his supercar needed a superbridge to go with. He built this impressive roadway from over 32,000 pieces, over the course of 96 hours. He even included LED streetlights for night viewing.

Teenager Caleb Watson built one of the best LEGO displays we’ve ever seen. It’s a kinetic diorama of the opening scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark. It breaks the scene down into multiple segments, including fetching the idol, and the boulder rolling after Indiana Jones.

LEGO master Shadow Elenter shows off another impressive Technic build. His latest creation is a Howitzer style tank that weighs in at 12 pounds. It has working treads, and some amazing weaponry, including a massive gun that plants itself to handle its recoil.

Like to build structures with LEGO? Brick expert Alice Finch’s book is packed with over 1000 ideas for creating detailed brickwork, windows, columns, staircases, and lots of other architectural details for your models.